Today I found myself doing something that I totally want to stop. I have found that I have aqcuired one of my Aunt Earnestine's nervous ticks and I tell you that is a mess. It is one that annoyed my sister to no end on one car trip from Alabama to Chicago(ha!)I swear I am not turning into my Aunt Earnestine. Recognizing that I had acquired that tick started me to thinking and becoming quite nostalgic. Oh how things change. Once I was a little boy, surrounded by tall trees which were my relatives that sheltered me from the sun. Now those trees are memories, ever present and vibrant in my mind.

I Wanna Be Loved

Nancy Wilson/ Dinah Washington

I wanna be loved with inspiration
I wanna be loved starting tonight
Instead of merely holding conversation
Hold me tight
I wanna be kissed until I tingle
I wanna be kissed starting tonight
Embrace until our heartbeats intermingle
Wrong or right
I feel like acting my age
I'm past the stage of merely turtledoving(be careful, be careful
what you do)I'm in no mood to resist
And I insist the world owes me a loving
I wanna be thrilled to desperation
I wanna be thrilled starting tonight(love me, love me, love me)
With every kind of wonderful sensation
I wanna be loved
I feel like acting my age
I'm past the stage of merely turtledoving
I'm in no mood to resist
And I insist the world owes me a loving
I wanna be thrilled to desperation
I wanna be thrilled starting tonight
With every kind of wonderful sensation
I wanna be loved

How Glad I Am

Nancy Wilson

My love has no beginning, my love has no end
No front or back and my love won't bend
I'm in the middle, lost in a spin loving you
And you don't know, you don't know
You don't know, you don't know how glad I am

My love has no bottom, my love has no top
My love won't rise and my love won't drop
I'm in the middle and I can't stop loving you
And you don't know, you don't know
You don't know, you don't know how glad I am

I wish I were a poet so I could express
What I'd, what I'd like to say yeah
I wish I were an artist so I could paint a picture
Of how I feel, of how I feel today

My love has no walls on either side
That makes my love wider than wide
I'm in the middle and I can't hide loving you

[2x]
And you don't know, you don't know
You don't know, you don't know how glad I am

How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am

My Very Hot Tennis Favorite-Roger Federer

My New Favorite Russian Tennis Player-Igor Andreev!

Igor Andreev is my favorite Russian player since Yvegeny Kafelnikov! Hooray on his victory over Andy Roddick!

Old Spiritual My Grandmother and Great Grandmother Used to Sing And I Like To Sing As Well

A little wheel a turnin'
a little fire burnin'
a little wheel a turnin' in my heart
you can't make me doubt him because I know too much about him
and I can't live without him in my heart

Good Riddance Attention Whore

By Cindy Sheehan

I have endured a lot of smear and hatred since Casey was killed and especially since I became the so-called “Face” of the American anti-war movement. Especially since I renounced any tie I have remaining with the Democratic Party, I have been further trashed on such “liberal blogs” as the Democratic Underground. Being called an “attention whore” and being told “good riddance” are some of the more milder rebukes.

I have come to some heartbreaking conclusions this Memorial Day Morning. These are not spur of the moment reflections, but things I have been meditating on for about a year now. The conclusions that I have slowly and very reluctantly come to are very heartbreaking to me.

The first conclusion is that I was the darling of the so-called left as long as I limited my protests to George Bush and the Republican Party. Of course, I was slandered and libeled by the right as a “tool” of the Democratic Party. This label was to marginalize me and my message. How could a woman have an original thought, or be working outside of our “two-party” system?

However, when I started to hold the Democratic Party to the same standards that I held the Republican Party, support for my cause started to erode and the “left” started labeling me with the same slurs that the right used. I guess no one paid attention to me when I said that the issue of peace and people dying for no reason is not a matter of “right or left”, but “right and wrong.”

I am deemed a radical because I believe that partisan politics should be left to the wayside when hundreds of thousands of people are dying for a war based on lies that is supported by Democrats and Republican alike. It amazes me that people who are sharp on the issues and can zero in like a laser beam on lies, misrepresentations, and political expediency when it comes to one party refuse to recognize it in their own party. Blind party loyalty is dangerous whatever side it occurs on. People of the world look on us Americans as jokes because we allow our political leaders so much murderous latitude and if we don’t find alternatives to this corrupt “two” party system our Representative Republic will die and be replaced with what we are rapidly descending into with nary a check or balance: a fascist corporate wasteland. I am demonized because I don’t see party affiliation or nationality when I look at a person, I see that person’s heart. If someone looks, dresses, acts, talks and votes like a Republican, then why do they deserve support just because he/she calls him/herself a Democrat?

I have also reached the conclusion that if I am doing what I am doing because I am an “attention whore” then I really need to be committed. I have invested everything I have into trying to bring peace with justice to a country that wants neither. If an individual wants both, then normally he/she is not willing to do more than walk in a protest march or sit behind his/her computer criticizing others. I have spent every available cent I got from the money a “grateful” country gave me when they killed my son and every penny that I have received in speaking or book fees since then. I have sacrificed a 29 year marriage and have traveled for extended periods of time away from Casey’s brother and sisters and my health has suffered and my hospital bills from last summer (when I almost died) are in collection because I have used all my energy trying to stop this country from slaughtering innocent human beings. I have been called every despicable name that small minds can think of and have had my life threatened many times.

The most devastating conclusion that I reached this morning, however, was that Casey did indeed die for nothing. His precious lifeblood drained out in a country far away from his family who loves him, killed by his own country which is beholden to and run by a war machine that even controls what we think. I have tried every since he died to make his sacrifice meaningful. Casey died for a country which cares more about who will be the next American Idol than how many people will be killed in the next few months while Democrats and Republicans play politics with human lives. It is so painful to me to know that I bought into this system for so many years and Casey paid the price for that allegiance. I failed my boy and that hurts the most.

I have also tried to work within a peace movement that often puts personal egos above peace and human life. This group won’t work with that group; he won’t attend an event if she is going to be there; and why does Cindy Sheehan get all the attention anyway? It is hard to work for peace when the very movement that is named after it has so many divisions.

Our brave young men and women in Iraq have been abandoned there indefinitely by their cowardly leaders who move them around like pawns on a chessboard of destruction and the people of Iraq have been doomed to death and fates worse than death by people worried more about elections than people. However, in five, ten, or fifteen years, our troops will come limping home in another abject defeat and ten or twenty years from then, our children’s children will be seeing their loved ones die for no reason, because their grandparents also bought into this corrupt system. George Bush will never be impeached because if the Democrats dig too deeply, they may unearth a few skeletons in their own graves and the system will perpetuate itself in perpetuity.

I am going to take whatever I have left and go home. I am going to go home and be a mother to my surviving children and try to regain some of what I have lost. I will try to maintain and nurture some very positive relationships that I have found in the journey that I was forced into when Casey died and try to repair some of the ones that have fallen apart since I began this single-minded crusade to try and change a paradigm that is now, I am afraid, carved in immovable, unbendable and rigidly mendacious marble.

Camp Casey has served its purpose. It’s for sale. Anyone want to buy five beautiful acres in Crawford, Texas? I will consider any reasonable offer. I hear George Bush will be moving out soon, too…which makes the property even more valuable.

This is my resignation letter as the “face” of the American anti-war movement. This is not my “Checkers” moment, because I will never give up trying to help people in the world who are harmed by the empire of the good old US of A, but I am finished working in, or outside of this system. This system forcefully resists being helped and eats up the people who try to help it. I am getting out before it totally consumes me or anymore people that I love and the rest of my resources.

Good-bye America…you are not the country that I love and I finally realized no matter how much I sacrifice, I can’t make you be that country unless you want it.

It’s up to you now.

Cindy Sheehan called the U.S. regime "paradigm that is now, I am afraid, carved in immovable, unbendable and rigidly mendacious marble." She should be reminded that there is nothing that God can't change. There is nothing that God can't change.

Cindy Sheehan Quote From "Good Riddance Attention Whore"

"It is so painful to me to know that I bought into this system for so many years, and Casey paid the price for that allegiance. I failed my boy and that hurts the most."

Whats Wrong WIth Cindy Sheehan?

Sheehan has announced that she is leaving the peace movement, fed up and tired. She shouldn't let these people bother her. This country, and these people, are going to hell if they don't change their ways. What she should do is castrate that motherfucker in the white house. I believe everything is going to work its way out in time. The world is looking brighter every day, despite the bullshit that keeps piling up. Keep trucking Cindy! Don't give up!

Memories From My Childhood

My Aunt Johnnie and her Ella Jenkins records. We used to listen to them all the time in her class and I still remember all the songs.

This From Barbra's Website

Joan Baez Ban at Walter Reed
Just days before Joan Baez was scheduled to perform at Walter Reed Hospital for recovering soldiers, she was told she was "not approved" by the army to take part in the program. Over the long span of her career, Joan Baez has been an outspoken advocate for peace, an activist and a concerned patriot of our country. She strongly believes in the theory of non-violence and she spoke out against the war in Iraq, like millions of others in this country and around the world.
Does freedom of speech and thought exist in the United States anymore? Or does everyone who disagrees with this administration and their policies get the ax?
These are just a few of the fallen men and women that quit, were fired or forced to retire from their positions in the Bush Administration due to the fact that they were critical of the failed policies, poor decision-making or false information that we have endured from our current president and his cronies.

Richard Clark, Fmr. Chief Adviser on Terrorism (quit)
Paul O'Neil, Fmr. Secretary of the Treasury (fired)
Lawrence Lindsey, Bush's Top Economic Advisor (fired)
Anthony Zinni, Special envoy to the Middle East (failed to be reappointed)
General Eric Shinseki, US Army's Chief of Staff (forced to retire)
Joanne Wilson, Commissioner of the Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) (quit)
Teresa Chambers, U.S. Park Police Chief (fired)
Andrew Eller, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (fired)
Eric Schaeffer, Director of the Office of Regulatory Enforcement at the Environmental Protection Agency (resigned)

Saturday Seven: Best Female Jazz Vocalists

This post is inspired by Palm Springs Savant's pick of his top seven female vocalists, stemming from the jazz era of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. His list was quite well crafted and included some great choices and even some surprise ones. Here are my choices for the top seven. The first one is clearly defined. I do not rank the other six.

1. Ella Fitzgerald


Ella Fitzgerald hands down must be declared to be the greatest jazz vocalist to have ever lived. Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," the title fits as Ella, like no other, could twirl a song around her finger and lure every listener into whatever web she chose to spin. She was truly the Goddess of her craft. No one compares to Ella when it comes to song.

Dinah Washington


Dinah Washington's short and troubled life gave the world some some of the best jazz styling it has ever witnessed. Her stirring and soulful voice packed a punch with such classics as What a Difference a Day Makes and This Bitter Earth. Her music has stood as the finest jazz recordings over the expanse of decades from the 50s to the present. Her short career,which spanned the 40s, 50s and 60s,made a great impact on the world of music.

Sarah Vaughn


Sarah Vaughn's deep, flavorful voice catapulted her to fame at an early age in the 1940s and spawned a career that lasted until her death in 1990. Her rich voice, her incredible ability to scat, and her unique vocal phrasing all made Sarah Vaughn a legend. Her hits include her rendition of "Black Coffee," "Tenderly," "I'm Crazy to Love You," and "I Love The Guy."

Nancy Wilson


Nancy Wilson is one of the most powerful singers around and definitely one of my favorites. Nancy's sharp, edgy voice put the rub on such songs as "Lush Life," "Willow Weep for Me," "The Very Thought of You," and "Miss Otis Regrets." Perhaps her signature song, the one she has said is her most requested, is her stylizing of the incredibly charged classic "Guess Who I Saw Today." Nancy Wilson's career has been one with incredible gusto. For a large part of the 60s, Nancy Wilson was the best selling recording artist on the Capitol Record Label, selling more records than even the Beatles(who were on the same label). The album of hers that I adore more than the rest and that I want to get my hands on is the 1967 LP, Just for Now. The song, "Just For Now," is also incredible. Nancy Wilson is a Grammy-Award winning artist. She is the host of the show Jazz Profiles on NPR.

Nina Simone


Nina Simone is a Goddess. No more need be said. Born Eunice Waymon in Tyron, North Carolina in 1933, Simone was a child prodigy on the piano. With community support behind her, she made her way to Julliard where she trained to be the first classically trained Black pianist. When funds ran out, and having been rejected from the Curtis School of Music because of her color, she began playing standard tunes in jazz clubs in New Jersey and New York. Her first, massive hit, "I Loves You Porgy," was released on the Bethlehem Label in the mid-50s. Becomind a darling of the music halls and the supper clubs, Nina Simone became a fiery, truth-telling priestess as she became involved with the Civil Rights Movement. On close terms with such figures as Malolm X, Stokely Carmichael, and Loraine Hansberry and marching with Martin Luther King and others throughout the South, Nina became the voice of the movement. Her 1969 classic Top Ten R&B hit, "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black," became an anthem for Black America. Nina is definitely one of the greatest jazz musicians to have ever walked the face of the earth, despite her refusing the label of a jazz artist all of her life. Her smoky, classic rendition of Screaming Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell On You," is one of the best recordings to come out of the 1950s. Other jazz flavored tunes such as "WIld is the Wind," and her rendition of Billie Holiday's classic "Don't Explain," are among the best jazz recordings ever and define her as one of the best jazz stylists of her era.

Billie Holiday


Billie Holiday is one of the greatest singers of all time. Her legacy has lived on 60 years after her death and she continues to win fans and inspire artists. She rivals Ella as number one on this list, and certainly takes her place as The Empress of Jazz. With such soul stirring classics as "Good Morning Heartache," "God Bless The Child," and such delicious hits as "Speak Low," Billie will live on for centuries to come.

Shirley Horn


Shirley Horn was one of the most soulful jazz artists in the world. A pianist and a singer, her voice was unique and distinctly flavored the songs she sang. Her incredible career lasted for forty years. She could frequently be heard on NPR.

If this list could be ten

Etta James, Peggy Lee, and Rosemary Clooney would make the list.

I had a great time at The Chatterbox last night. That floutist with Keni Washington's band is the best I've ever heard. He is the Stevie Wonder of flutes. Absolutely beautiful. And the bassist was hot.

Romanian Film Concerning Abortion Wins The Palme D'Or

The film, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, by Romanian filmmaker, Cristian Mungiu depicts a woman's struggle to secure an abortion in Romania. He accepted the award from legendary actress, feminist, and social activist, Jane Fonda.

Anyone Can Whistle

Stephone Sondheim

Anyone can whistle,
That's what they say-
Easy.
Anyone can whistle
Any old day-
Easy.
It's all so simple:
Relax, let go, let fly.
So someone tell me why
Can't I?
I can dance a tango,
I can read Greek-
Easy.
I can slay a dragon
Any old week-
Easy.
What's hard is simple.
What's natural comes hard.
Maybe you could show me
How to let go,
Lower my guard,
Learn to be free.
Maybe if you whistle,
Whistle for me.

I can slay a dragon
Any old week-
Easy.
What's hard is simple.
What's natural comes hard.
Maybe you could show me
How to let go,
Lower my guard,
Learn to be free.
Maybe if you whistle,
Whistle for me

Abolishing Whiteness

I think a huge step that could and should be taken in this country in terms of forming an egalitarian and humanity-based society would be to abolish whiteness in all of its past glory. Those who know and identify themselves as white in this country should cease to go so and identify themselves as either "German-American" or "Scot-Irish" or "Irish-American" or even "American"(which in more ways than one is already synonymous with white). Redefine what you are and abolish the hierarchy and the evil legacy that was created by those pasty, evil white men long ago.

American Bullying of Iran

The United States is antagonizing Iran. I have heard countless "reports" and stories on NPR, CNN, and other news programs. A question to ask is, what is this money that the United States is using to fund a coup of the Iranian government? Should this government be concerned with trying to stage coups at this point in time, or at any time? What this reminds me of, somewhat, is what Antonia Fraser called Henry VIII's "Rough Wooing" of Scotland. Its repeated advances into Scottish territory, trying to stir the Scottish lords against James V and his mother, and pestering the Scots at whatever turn he could get. The United States is on a fatal course.

Orange Party

Since I love orange juice so much, I came up with the idea of an Orange party...to celebrate orange.

Peace Begins with One Person

This is a beautiful essay by a lady named Ivory Harlow on what she believes is fundamental to peace. Very inspirational.I encourage everyone to read.

Monica Gooding's Opening Statement and Is Ordered to Testify

U.S. Attorney Firings

It seems to me that Karl Rove and George Bush were out to make the Justice Department their own little Reichstag. Removing people to replace with their pawns? Playing politics with the justice system? Hmm. Impeach these people.

Monica Gooding Before Congress

I saw some of Monica Gooding's testimony before Congress this morning. I am defintiely interestd in hearing all that she has to say.

Sandra Bernhard Salute to Nina Simone

Keep On Movin'

Now, I have always loved Soul II Soul. I love TLC too, but Soul II Soul more.

Soul II Soul

Keep on moving
don't stop like the hands of time

Click clock
find your own way to stay

The time will come one day.
Why do people choose to live their live this way?

Keep on moving
don't stop
no
keep on moving

Keep on moving
keep on moving
don't stop
no

Keep on moving.

It's our time
time today
the right time is here to stay

Stay in my life
my life always
yellow is the colour of sunrays.
I hide myself from no one
I know the time will surely come when -
You'll be in my life
my life
my life always

yellow is the colour of sunrays.

Keep on moving
don't stop like the hands of time

Click clock
fing your own way to stay
the time will come one day.

Keep on moving
don't stop
no
keep on moving
...

I know the time
time today
walking alone in my own way

Extremely cold and rainy day
friends and I have fun along the way

Yes
we do! I hide myself from no one

I know the time will really come when -
You'll be in my life
my life always

yellow is the colour of sunrays.

Keep on moving
don't stop like the hands of time
...
Keep on moving
don't stop
no
keep on moving.

I have always been ambivalent about TLC's song "Waterfall." I think I appreciate it more now, but I still am not sure that I feel completely good about it. Don't go chasing waterfalls? I think I get the message, but it sounds like a very discouraging message incorporated as well.

Concrete Steps to Confront Racism

Today there was a letter to the editor in the Exponent(which I by chance happened to pick up) concerning racism and the sparse representation of Blacks at Purdue. I have had this conversation many times over and at one point I came up with a list of some things that we might do in terms of tackling the problem of racism and the lack of a true spirit of diversity at Purdue(we will see what happens with the new president- a woman of color). In my response to someone else, this is what I came up with:

In regards to what we can do concretely, I think we need to firstly remain firm in challenging and confronting racism where we find it. In terms of specific actions however, I think

1. We should write articles about our thoughts and feelings concerning racism at Purdue and submit them to publications that would be sympathetic to our cause(not the journal and courier or the exponent--I mean ebony, essence, Chronicle of Higher education, The Black Scholar,etc....)

2. Write Letters about our observations concerning Purdue's falsity in its appearance as diverse(little representation of indigenous minority ethnic groups--where are the native americans?)

3. Urge student groups on this campus(take your pick--POLE, which ever ones) to take up the issue of racism and the racist atmosphere on this campus.

4. VOCALIZE it to death

5. Establish contacts with civil rights organizations and other black student and community groups around the country and especially at other universities.

6. Establish a body here at Purdue where Black students--and for tha matter other students of color can voice concerns and report racist incidents and develop a group to keep track of it and investigate and advocate if neccesary.

Also, study the history of this place and the racial legacy that is left here.

Gonzales must have been real firmly entrenched in the bullshit that led up to this war. Bush is holding on to him like it's his dick.

Barbra on Youtube Singing Cry Me A River

A Call to Black Bloggers

I would like to see what types of blogs are maintained by Blacks on the web. I read a few, but I there are definitely a lot more I don't know about. I would be obliged to be led to some sites.

Where Are the Stars In This Dark Night?

This is a powerful essay by Margaret Wheatley at the Berkana Institute. She gives a powerful critique of the place where American society and culture is right now and the direction in which we are headed. She sees our obsession with militarism, war, and our belief that competition creates healthy relationships as the beginning of death for America. This is a powerful essay and Wheatley powerfully beckons the American people to take a look at themselves and how they live.

Raging Grannies

Black Panther Party Anthem

Written by Elaine Brown

He turned and he walked Past the eyes of my life.
And, he nodded and sang without sound.
And his face had the look Of a man who knew strife
And a feeling familiarly came around....
I said, Man, where have you been for all these years
Man, where were you when I sought you
Man, do you know me as I know you
Man, am I coming through....
And, he spoke in a voice That was centuries old.
And, be smiled in a way that was strange.
And, his full lips of night Spoke about our people's plight
And a feeling familiarly came around....
I said, Man, where have you been for all these years
Man, where were you when I sought you
Man, do you know me as I know you
Man, am I coming through....
And, we sat and we talked About freedom and things.
And, he told me about what he dreamed.
But I knew of that dream Long before he had spoke
And a feeling familiarly came around....
I said, Man, where have you been for all these years
Man, where were you when I sought you
Man, do you know me as I know you
Man, am I coming through....

Origins of Love From Youtube

From Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Texas to Release 226 Juvenile Inmates

The Texas Criminal Justice system is without a doubt broken and in need of a total revamp. 226 juveniles are to be released because of fault on the part of the justice system. This is horrendous, unacceptable, and needs to be addressed.

I had no idea that Nell Carter was bisexual.

"In Our Struggle, people did not die for the vote, but to vote for the people who serve our interests." Elaine Brown endorsing Mayor Jason West

There Is Nothing Better Than Watching Grace Jones on YouTube

Singing "Libertango."

Give Me The Night

George Benson

Whenever dark has fallen
you know the spirit of the party
starts to come alive.
Until the day is dawning
you can throw out all your blues
and hit the city lights.
'Cause there's music in the air
and lots of loving everywhere
so gimme the night. Gimme the night.

You need the evening action,
a place to dine, a glass of wine,
a little late romance.
It's a chain reaction.
You'll see the people of the world
coming out to dance.
'Cause there's music in the air
and lots of loving everywhere
so gimme the night. Gimme the night.

So come on out tonight
and we'll lead the others
on a ride through paradise.
And if you feel all right
then we can be lovers 'cause I see that
starlight look in your eyes.
Don't you know we can fly?
Just gimme the night. Gimme the night.

And if we stay together,
we'll feel the rhythm of the evening
taking us up high.
Never mind the weather.
We'll be dancing in the street
until the morning light.
'Cause there's music in the air
and lots of loving everywhere.
So gimme the night. Gimme the night...

Killing Me Softly

Roberta Flack

Strumming my pain with his fingers,
Singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song,
Killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song ...

I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style.
And so I came to see him to listen for a while.
And there he was this young boy, a stranger to my eyes.

Strumming my pain with his fingers,
Singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song,
Killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song ...

I felt all flushed with fever, embarrassed by the crowd,
I felt he found my letters and read each one out loud.
I prayed that he would finish but he just kept right on ...

Strumming my pain with his fingers,
Singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song,
Killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song ...

He sang as if he knew me in all my dark despair.
And then he looked right through me as if I wasn't there.
But he just came to singing, singing clear and strong.

Strumming my pain with his fingers,
Singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song,
Killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song ...

He was strumming, oh, he was singing my song.
Killing me softly with his song,
Killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song ...
With his song ...

NYPD Spied on Alicia Keyes, RNC Protesters

They have a video story on CNN's webpage concerning the NYPD surveillance and COINTELPRO-type activities against Alicia Keyes, Jay Z, and others who were present at the protests at the Republican National Convention in 2004. The ACLU filed suit to have those records released and they are now open to the public.

Clergy Arrested in Indianapolis For Civil Disobedience

Six clergy were arrested today for protesting poverty wages paid to janitors in an office downtown. Above is the link to the story.

Todays Thoughts

I was recently talking with someone about the Documentary Grey Gardens which I first saw when I was about ten;I watched some absolutely crazy stuff when I was a child. I found myself thinking about Peach Park as well...what a fabulous place that is.

The Best Line

" I want my Porgy Money!"

Sandra Bernhard on Nina Simone!

Sad Tidings-Yolanda King, dead at 51

What a devastating thing that Yolanda King has died so soon after her mother. I was quite taken aback when I heard it on the radio this morning.

This biography of Angela Davis contains a great interview done with her on Spartacus.net on the merging of class and race struggle in the Civil Rights/Black Power movements.

The New York TImes had two interesting articles on Sarkozy today. One tries to reassure everyone that Sarkozy's election in France won't swing France radically to the right. That is my hope, but I'm still holding my stomach. The second addressed his Hungarian ancestry. Quite interesting stuff.

Interview with Betty DeRamus

I am quite thrilled and delighted that my cousin, the Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist Betty DeRamus, agreed to let me interview her. Here is what transpired:

1. Where did you grow up?

I was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, but grew up in Detroit.

2. What inspired you to become a journalist?

Since I've devoured books all my life, I suppose it was inevitable that I would want to be like the authors whom I read. I began writing short stories when I was seven or eight years old, primarily because it gave me a way to work out (on paper) some of the tensions in my family. In the best of all possible worlds, I would have gone abroad after college and tried to write novels. However, my father died when I was 22 and my mother needed help. So I became a working author---a journalist.

3. What values and beliefs do you carry from your upbringing into your work?

As a reporter, I simply did whatever stories I was assigned. Once I became an editorial writer and, later, a columnist, I could express my own beliefs and values. I have always had a deep and abiding concern for the welfare of children and for underdogs in general. After I was an adult, I discovered that the person I'd always called my mother was actually my stepmother. I was my father's child "love child" by a woman who was not his wife. This had a profound effect on the way I view family. I never tried to find my biological mother because I thought it was more important to embrace my "real" mother, the one who raised me. Since I have no siblings (that I know of), I've created a family of friends over the years.

4. What has been the most rewarding thing about being a writer?

As a journalist, I've been an eyewitness to history many times. I toured refugee camps in Central Africa 10 years before genocide in Rwanda made the news. I was outside Victor Verster prison when Nelson Mandela walked out and I followed him around the U.S. later that year. A few years ago, someone told me about a black youngster who was collecting pencils for a school in the Gambia. He was 12 years old. He had visited a school in Gambia and noticed that the students had only one pencil and were passed it from hand to hand. I wrote three columns about his quest and asked my readers to send him a pencil. He and his teacher wound up more with more than 150,000 pencils and other school supplies and free airfare back to the Gambia. At the airport, officials became suspicious, thinking he and his teacher were running some kind of scam and would be selling the pencils. She showed them my articles and they decided to let him in. In my entire career, I've never written a more rewarding series of stories than this one. His name, by the way, is also Brandon and he's now in college.

5. You just recently published a book. How often do you branch out into genres other than journalism?

I plan to spend the rest of my life writing books, especially books that shine a spotlight on the neglected or forgotten history of Africans in America. I'm now writing my second one. I'm no longer a full-time journalist, just an occasional free-lancer.

6. Is there anything left you'd like to accomplish in your life's work?

You always have to keep a fresh dream in your back pocket. I've accomplished a lot but I'm just beginning to pursue my original dream of writing books. It's tough, but nothing worth doing is easy.


Betty DeRamus is the author of Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories from the Underground Railroad, true stories about slave couples who took extraordinary steps to stay together

Dare to dream

Learning to Give

I am saving this essay by Isabel Allende for myself. It is something to treasure.

God Bless those who are providing sanctuary for the undocumented.

There are those who think I am uppity because I talk about my family. Hmm. I think it says a lot about some outlooks, perspectives, points of view, and politics.

Thank God for my many blessings.

Today as I was walking through borders, in one little corner of the store they had a display on which one side of the aisle there was a board game called "You've been Arresseted." On the other side, there were two books, one called "Hiring People" and the other "Managing People." This is a sick and twisted culture we live in. I believe it's in the throes of death.

"Let Freedom Ring is not the same as the bling bling."- Cornel West

Flack Jackets from Wikipedia

The Wikipedia article on Flack Jackets doesn't seem very encouraging. Even more reason why this is a mess and a half and a great big sham.

Commentary on New Baghdad Security

These people who are running this war( as well as the country) are full of shit and so stupid. What in the hell are a flack jacket and a helmet going to do for you when someone throws a bomb at you? I so would leave those people to be protected by their flack jackets and helmets and run my ass on away from there.

America/Rome Show

I absolutely adore Diane Rehm!!

The Case of Jimmy Lee Jackson ReOpened

Decades after his murder, thy are finally bringing the case of the late Jimmy Lee Jackson, the Civil Rights worker who was shot and killed in 1965 Selma, Alabama, which spurned the Selma to Montgomery March, is being brought to trial. The police officer who murdered him is now 73-years-old. I hope this does something for his family, if nothing else.

My dear, sweet Aunt Louise who taught me Lanchey and is a Black Bette Midler with her thick New York accent. May the lord keep her.

There are stories I have to write and have to figure out how to write them.

High on Hog by Julia Fields-- I Have Been Searching For This Poem Forever!

I had this memorized and could recite it so well...that was so long ago. I am glad I found it.

Take my share of Soul Food-I do not wish
To taste of pig Of either gut or Grunt from bowel Or jowel
I want caviar Shrimp scouffle' Sherry Champagne and not because
These are the Whites domain but just because I'm entitles-
For I've been V.d.'d enough T.b.'d enough and Hoe-cake fed
Knock-knee'd enough Spindly leg-bloodhound tree'd enough
To eat High on the Hog

I've been Hired last Fired first enough I've sugar-watered my Thirst enough-
Been lynched enough Slaved enough Cried enough Died enough
Been deprived-Have survived enough
To eat High on the Hog

Keep the black-eyed peas and the grits
The high blood-pressured chops and gravy sops
I want aperitifs supreme Baked Alaska-something suave, cool
For I've been considered faithful fool from 40 acres and a mule…
I've been Slighted enough Sever-righted enough And up tighted enough
And I want High on the Hog

For dragging the cotton sack On bended knees In burning sun
In homage to the Great- King cotton
For priming the money-green tobacco and earning pocket-change
For washing in iron pots For warming by coal and soot For eating the leavings from Others' tables
I've lived my wretched life Between domestic rats And foreign wars
Carted to my final rest In second-hand cars
But I've been leeched enough Dixie-peached enough Color bleached enough
And I want High on the Hog!

Oh I've heard the Mau Mau Screaming Romanticizing Pain
I hear them think They go against the Grain
But I've lived in shacks Long enough Had strong black beaten Backs long enough And I've been Urban-planned Been monyilanned Enough
And I want High on the Hog...

Purdue Picks a Woman of Color as its 11th President

In an interesting move,Purdue picked France Cordova, former UC Riverside Chancellor, as its 11th president. She is not only Purdue's first female president, but she is also the first Hispanic president as well. It is a progressive step. We shall see what comes of it.

The French Adopt a Right Wing Government

It saddens me to see the French elect Nicolas Sarkozy. There is a dangerous and terrifying trend of Western nations adopting right wing governments. We are entering some sort of horrific period and god knows what we will find. So far, Western nations that have adopted Right-Wing governments include:

The United States
Israel
Canada
France
Great Britain
Mexico
Germany

Something is going to happen.

The Progressive Politics of Mahalia Jackson

Today I thought that I might blog a little bit about Mahalia Jackson. Mahalia Jackson was one of the most popular figures of the 20th Century and it is amazing how quickly the public memory of her is being erased. At one point, during the Depression Era, in a poll taken amongst school children across the United States, Mahalia Jackson recieved more name recognition as someone they admired than Franklin Roosevelt. Her impact was tremendous. While there are many today who still play her gospel recoords, and even more gospel, R&B, and Soul singers who have been influenced by Mahalia,I seldom here anything in the mainstream concerning her progressive politics. Mahalia was a beautiful soul and like most Black people of a certain time and era, believed in right, and didn't believe in playing in white people's evil, with the belief that one should be upright and godfearing.

She was quite good friends with Studs Terkel, the historian and social critic. At one point, Mahalia asked Studs to be the host for her CBS radio show. As a matter of fact, she made it a stipulation that Studs be asked to host the show if she was to do it. So, CBS brought in Studs Terkel and the show begins. At one point, well into the run of the show, CBS headquarters sent down a loyalty oath(one of those relics of the McCarthy era that most employers demanded employees sign, pledging their loyalty to the United States) and demanded that Studs sign it. He refused and CBS threatened to fire him. Mahalia intervened saying, "If you fire Studs Terkel then you find yourself another Mahalia Jackson." And that was that and CBS had nothing else to say and the show went on, with Studs Terkel. Mahalia also sang at the March on Washington in 1963 as well as at Dr. King's Funeral in 1968. She is widely considered one of the best singers of the 20th Century and the best gospel singer of all time. She was a great soul.

Be Real Black For Me

Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway
(Donnie)
Our Time, short and precious
your lips warm and luscious
you don't have to wear false charms
cause when I wrap you in my hungry arms
Be real black for me
be real black for me

(Roberta)
Your hair soft and crinkly
your body strong and stately
you don't have to search anymore
cause I got your love at home
Be real black for me
be real black for me

(Together)
In my head I'm only half together
If I loose you I'd be ruined forever
darling take my hand and hold me
hold me
hold me
hold me
hold me

(together, alternately)
You know how much I need you
to have you,really feel you

(together)
you don't have to change a thing
No one knows the love you bring
Be real black for me
be real black for me
Be real black for me
be real black for me
Be real black for me
be real black for me
Be real black for me
be real black for me
Be real black for me
be real black for me

Youth Activist Arrested in Newark--From The New Black Panther Party

THE NEW BLACK PANTHER PARTY
THE NATIONAL MINISTRY OF CULTURE
P.O. BOX 25332
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY 07101
201-602-0780

April 30, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW PANTHERS CONDEMN ARREST OF NEWARK YOUTH LEADER

On Thursday, April 26th, Marques Lewis, outspoken anti-violence youth advocate, was arrested by Rutgers University Campus police, the Party has learned.

Apparently, Lewis, a student at Arts High School and founder of Da Youth, a local organization working to stem the horrific tide of street violence in the city of Newark, was home from a downtown meeting, across Rutgers University’s Newark campus when he was accosted.

It appears that Campus police were in the throes of a “sweep” for a Black male who had just robbed somebody on campus when Lewis was walking through. According to Bashir Akinyele, the Party’s local chief of staff, Campus police threw Lewis on the ground, put him handcuffs and put a gun to head.

“This young brother was really shaken up,” Akinyele said.
Lewis was then turned over to Essex County authorities and charged with “conspiracy to commit robbery.” He is facing up to $100,000 bail and jail time. He is expected to be arraigned today. The New Black Panther Party and the People's Organization for Progress secured an attorney for Lewis and are preparing for any other actions necessary.

“This is as outrageous as it gets,” exclaimed an angry Zayid Muhammad, the Party’s National Minister of Culture, who is also a Rutgers Newark alumni. “We went through this years ago when I was on campus.”
“Here is a kid who just survived being shot himself in an armed robbery just three weeks ago and who has himself been robbed at gunpoint twice just within the last year, who has been breaking his neck trying to bring community and official elements together to check the madness of this violence and he gets victimized all over again in the worst way,” Muhammad continued.

The first thing is Marques should be released on his own recognizance. Rutgers and the county should move immediately to have all charges dropped against Marques, and the character of that ‘sweep’ needs to immediately be investigated. Newark is full of ‘young black males’ and they are not all criminals. Institutions like Rutgers should be going out of their way trying to recruit a kid like Marques not having their police threatening to shoot him,” he finished.

For more information, please call 201-602-0780 or 973-204-5124.

Condoleeza Meets with Syrian Government Officials

What a fabulous moment.

L.A. Immigration Rally

The police are comfortable being seen in front of television cameras beating people. This is an interesting reshifting and one that should be noted. What should we expect in the future? Needless to say, what they did in L.A. is an abomination.

11th Radical Progressive Carnival

Welcome to the 11th Radical Progressive Carnival! There are a variety of intellectual offerings to be sampled today. Our first worthy consideration is a very succinct academic essay on modern anarchism written by Richard Adams-Blackburn over at Anarchist Philosophy Blog. Adam smoothly lays out the principles of anarchism and discusses the anarchist take on U.S. Foreign policy, education, and the criminal justice system.

David Gross over at The Picket Line offers us three posts. The first is an updated guide to tax resistance from the National War Tax Resister's Coordinating Committee. Gross urges everyone to use tax resistance as a way of protest against the war and provides this simple guide as to how it can be accomplished. Gross outlines the pamphlet in this post and provides links to the National War Tax Resister's Coordinating Committee website. In the second post, Gross reviews Bill Kaufman's book, Look Homeward, America: In Search of Reactionary Radicals and Front Porch Anarchists. This seems to be an intriguing book that discusses the politics of figures such as Dorothy Day and Eldridge Cleaver. In this book, Kaufman seems to make a connection between anarchism, Jeffersonian democracy,and the traditions of such figures as Mother Jones, Robert La Follette,and John Brown. Kaufman expresses his desire to always vote for the "loser" whether it be Al Sharpton or Ralph Nader. This seems to be an interesting look at American politics and should be an interesting read. Gross' thirdoffering is an interesting analysis of Thoreau's development as a pacifist and the journey he took from a fascination with militarism and violence to his total identification as a pacifist.

Daddy Dialectic's post The Us vs. THe Rest of the Post-Industrial World provides the conclusions of a study done by the Council on Contemporary families, discussing the U.S. rankings in relation to other developed nations in regards to creating family-friendly work policies. Interesting material there; it would be interesting to put this up against other measures of U.S. society such as child poverty,the economic stability of U.S. households, and gender equality in the workplace. Save the Ribble provides us with analysis of the ongoing struggle of Riverworks to preserve their urban environment against propoerty developers looking to make profits. This is an interesting read and definitely an issue worth watching as it develops over at Save the Ribble.

Mad Kane offers us two limericks, "Truth on the Lam," and "Bellicose Bush." The first relates to Orrin Hatch's shady involvement in the firing of the U.S Attorneys General and the smear campaign that he conducted against U.S. Attorney, Carol Lam. The second sums up Bush's modus operandi as being "If you can't solve a problem, make it bigger." She has a wicked sense of humor. Great stuff.

The Largest Minority gives us Youtube footage of the March 17th anti-war march in L.A. Interesting account of the march and a new concept to me, phone blogging. Lastly, Humantide tells us of the German Trade Unionist call for massive mobilization against the G^ summit. This seems to be a manifesto, signed by various signatories. Also provided is an itinerary of planned events which I shall include here:

Action timetable against g8
Thuesday, 1st of May:
Revolutionary 1st of May Manifestations in different cities.

from 26th of May:
Convergence Center in Hamburg, eventually in Berlin too

Beginning of June:
"Block Germany", Decentralized Blockades all over Germany

Friday, 1st of June:
Opening of the Mediacenter in Rostock
Occupation of the "Bombodrom"
Camp und start of the caravan to Heiligendamm

Saturday, 2nd June:
Mass demonstration in the city of Rostock, near Central Railway Station
Start of the Camp against G8
Internationalist Conference in Rostock

Sunday, 3th of June:
Actionday in Rostock,
Internationalist Conference in Rostock

Mondy, 4th of June:
Actionday against War and Rascism
Camp against G8

Thuesday, 5th of June:
Actionday agsainst war / eventually blockade of the airport in Rostock-Laage
Start of the Counter-Summit in Rostock
Camp against G8

Wednesday, 6th of June:
1st Day of the G8-Summit, Blockade-Day in different Areas
Counter-Summit in Rostock
Camp against G8

Thursday, 7th of June:
G8-Summit, 2nd day in Heiligendamm
Counter-Summit in Rostock
Camp against G8
Blockade-Actions / March from different small local cities to Heiligendamm
End Manifestation

Friday, 8th of June:
G8-Summit, 3rd Day
End of the Camp against G8

This edition's contributions, with its wide range of topics, should be rich fodder for blog readers. I hope you enjoy!

So Here's the Deal

I just tried out several of the other different templates/colors for Juliusspeaks. None of them seemed to work so I came back to Black;-) If you think it needs a change, let me know what you think and how to do it.

Anti-Veto Rally at Purdue

There was a great turnout for the last minute anti-veto rally here in West Lafayette. There were about thirty people out with signs and children. You can tell that there is life in the peace movement when there are children present. This is a strong movement, considering where we are. Activism has increased considerable since I came here to Purdue and it is interesting and joyous to see. The Catholic, Pax Christi group is really adamant and gung ho now. They are really on the move. Great things visible here now. We shall see what else happens.

There Are Places I Remember

Bette Midler

There are places I remember all my life,
Though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain.
All these places have their moments
Of lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I loved them all.

And with all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these mem'ries lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
And I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them.
In my life I loved you more.

And I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them.
In my life I loved you more
In my life I loved you more

Not really news, but the Bush administration is trying to manipulate the war and how it is being percieved. Take a look at CNN.com's front page.

Quarry stones live oak
deforestation on a louisiana plantation
courtyards once fit to walk through
tall stately trees and the olive green to match my dress
now gone
cut down
eroded beauty
frustration of the land
nowhere to find the spark
Juvenal is gone

Movie Idea!

I came up with this idea for a movie a couple of days ago. Everyone is doing remakes now and I think there should be a remake of Myra Breckenridge. This time, no Raquel Welch. Johnny Depp should play Myra.

I so love Sandra Bernhard!

Poetry

I love scented flowers walks through gardens wit hthe sun on my face. I love bright, beautiful azaleas popping up at me in my aunts yard and clinging roses on the bush, thorns protectively at their side. Love is a rose, love is beauty and love is a walk through a garden on a summer day.

A Sleepin' Bee

Barbra/ Diahann Carroll

When a bee lies sleepin'
In the palm o' your hand
You're bewitch'd and deep in love's
Long look'd after land
Where you'll see a sun-up sky
With the mornin' new
And where the days go laughin' by
As love comes a-calling on you
Sleep on, bee, don't waken,
Can't believe what just passed
He's mine for the takin'
I am happy at last.
Maybe I dreams, but he seems
Sweet golden as a crown,
A sleepin' bee done told me
I will walk with my feet off the ground
When my one true love I has found
Sleep on, bee, don't waken,
Can not believe what just passed
He's mine for the takin'
I am happy at last...
Maybe I dreams, but he seems
Golden as a crown,
A sleepin' bee told me
I will walk with my feet off the ground
When my one true love
I has found...

There is an owl that sits atop an electrical post here. Interesting to see. Definitely nature over industry.

This From HungryBlues: Gonzales Flees Harvard

Gonzales Embarrassed at Harvard Reunions
While I was at Harvard Law School on Friday, the reunion was underway, but who knew what was in store…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 28, 2007

CONTACT: DEBORAH POPOWSKI, NATE ELA
HLS ADVOCATES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Cell Phones: (646) 831-8255, (646) 245-8792
Emails: dpopowski [at] law [dot] harvard [dot] edu, nela [at] law [dot] harvard [dot] edu

GONZALES EMBARRASSED AT HARVARD REUNION

Attorney General Surprise Visit at 25th Reunion Met by Student Protests

Cambridge, Mass. - Alberto Gonzales was confronted by student protesters and forced to leave through a back door on Saturday during a visit to Harvard Law School for his 25th reunion. After two weeks clinging to save his job and defending allegations that he fired eight U.S. Attorneys for political reasons, what might have been a relaxed day of reminiscing with old classmates became instead yet another reminder that both his job and his reputation are in serious jeopardy.

The Attorney General was on campus, unannounced to students, to deliver a lunchtime speech. But word quickly spread that a suspicious motorcade had been spotted by the campus center, and by the time Gonzales and his fellow classmates assembled on the law library steps for their class photo, a group of current students were there to greet him, having donned black hoods and orange jumpsuits. As the photographer told the class of 1982 to smile and say “cheese,” the students yelled out that saying “torture,” “resign” or “I don’t recall” might be more appropriate.

The Attorney General’s visit to his alma mater coincided with the third anniversary of the release of photos depicting the torture of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and came the day after a German federal prosecutor dismissed a case alleging that Gonzales was responsible for approving the policies that resulted in those abuses. These facts were not lost on Deborah Popowski, a second-year law student who had just finished organizing a nationwide student sit-in urging Congress to pass pending legislation that would restore detainees’ rights to habeas corpus. “When I heard he was on campus, I was stuffing envelopes with letters to Congress in an office two floors above. I dropped everything. Gonzales needs to know that after approving poorly-reasoned memos that distort the rule of law and justify torture, he is simply not welcome here.”

At a time when many in the nation are calling for Gonzales to resign, one third-year student managed to communicate the mood of his own alma mater directly to Gonzales. While the Attorney General’s security detail kept protestors at bay and the photographer prepared the class photo, she slipped though the law library’s front doors and approached Gonzales from behind. “On behalf of many other Harvard Law students,” she said, “I’d like to tell you that we are ashamed to have you as an alumnus of this school. And we’re glad you’re here to be able to tell you that.” Gonzales thanked the student and offered to shake her hand, but was refused. After the class photo was taken, several of the Attorney General’s classmates clapped and approached the protesting students to thank them for their efforts.

Following the group photo, Gonzales ducked into the library to take a stroll around the main reading room, which, on the weekend before final exams, was full of students going over their notes. When the protestors caught up with Gonzales, the cavernous reading room, ordinarily a place of hushed whispers, echoed with chants of “shame” and “resign.” Gonzales was quickly whisked down a back staircase, out a basement emergency exit and into a waiting SUV. As the motorcade pulled off from in front of historic Austin Hall, Thomas Becker, a second-year law student, stood in an orange jumpsuit and black hood, waving goodbye. When the cars were out of sight, Becker pulled off his hood, smiled, and said “good riddance.”



Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, second row from top, center, poses with members of the Harvard Law School class of 1982 as law student protester Thomas Becker looks on.



Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, holding number 588, poses with classmates from the Harvard Law School class of 1982 as law student protester Thomas Becker looks on.



Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Harvard Law class of 1982 and holding number 588, poses for a reunion photo as Thomas Becker, a second-year law student, looks on.

God Bless Hugo Chavez and God Bless Venezuela!

Chavez, marking the occassion on International Worker's Day, has just nationalized the last of the oil industries in Venezuela! God Bless the Venezuelan people!

Happy International Workers Day!

New Day

Patti Labelle

Seems my life is finally coming together

Feel so good, don't think I've ever been better

It's clear to me my future will bring

The peace I've been longing for is mine forever more

It's a new day

Open my eyes and my path is clearer

( New Day )

Pushing ahead till my goal gets nearer

( New Day )

Spread my wings

I'm doin' things my way

It's a new day

Wasn't sure where I should begin

Couldn't tell my beginning from the end

For every door that closed a window opened

Been 'round the world and back again, it starts from within, yes

It's a new day (A new day)

Open my eyes and my path is clearer

( New Day )

Pushing ahead till my goal gets nearer

( New Day )

Spread my wings

I'm doin' things my way

It's a new day

I'm excited for the things ahead of me

I decided I can make it on my own

Embrace the good and bad and let go of the past

I'm loving what's inside of me, yes, yes

It's a new day

Open my eyes and my path is clearer (Open my eyes, yeah, yes)

( New Day )

Pushing ahead till my goal gets nearer (Pushing ahead)

( New Day )

Spread my wings

(I'm spreading my wings, yes)

It's a new day (Oh...oh...oh...oh...oh...oh...)

It's a new day

Open my eyes and my path is clearer (Oh, a new day)

( New Day )

Pushing ahead till my goal gets nearer (I'm doin' things my way)

( New Day )

Spread my wings

I'm doin' things my way, yeah

{It's a new day}

I decided long ago

I can make it on my own

Gonna be alright, yeah

Gonna be alright, uh-huh, yeah, yeah

It's a new day

It's a new day

Open my eyes and my path is clearer

It's a new day

Pushing ahead till my goal gets nearer

It's a new day

Spread my wings

I'm spreading my wings, I'm gonna do things

{It's a new day}

THis is a Brilliant Interview with Alice Walker

What I Found Out in a Magazine

Timothy McVeigh was gay and had been harrassed by the military concerning it.

Killing Me Softly

Roberta Flack

Strumming my pain with his fingers,
Singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song,
Killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song ...

I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style.
And so I came to see him to listen for a while.
And there he was this young boy, a stranger to my eyes.

Strumming my pain with his fingers,
Singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song,
Killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song ...

I felt all flushed with fever, embarrassed by the crowd,
I felt he found my letters and read each one out loud.
I prayed that he would finish but he just kept right on ...

Strumming my pain with his fingers,
Singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song,
Killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song ...

He sang as if he knew me in all my dark despair.
And then he looked right through me as if I wasn't there.
But he just came to singing, singing clear and strong.

Strumming my pain with his fingers,
Singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song,
Killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song ...

He was strumming, oh, he was singing my song.
Killing me softly with his song,
Killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song ...
With his song ...

LaSpecula

I am now writing for LaSpecula.com

Keeping Academics Out of Cuba

Keeping academics out of Cuba

by Wayne Smith
Baltimore Sun
April 30, 2007

The Bush administration's restrictions on academic travel to Cuba
are so harsh that they have brought such travel virtually to a halt.
Now, about 450 professors and academics from colleges and
universities across the nation have banded together to take the
federal government to court and challenge their legality.

The stated purpose of these restrictions was to deny hard
currency to Cuban government coffers. But visiting professors
and students are not exactly known as big spenders. The pittance
they might have left behind would have had little impact on a
Cuban economy registering strong growth rates.

Most of the restrictions are simply inexplicable. One says that
courses in Cuba can be taught only by full-time, permanent
members of the faculty. I have taught every semester at the
Johns Hopkins University for 24 years and am the director of the
Cuba Exchange Program. But because I am an adjunct professor,
the new regulations ban me from teaching courses in Cuba - even
were it possible to organize such courses.

How does that deny hard currency to Cuba? Did I, and other
adjunct professors who may have been involved, have such
reputations as high rollers that U.S. officials believed keeping us
off the island was a good way to bring down the Cuban economy?
Absurd. So what was the purpose?

Of course, there are no more courses for me to teach in Cuba,
even if I wanted to be a full-time member of the faculty. From
1997 until we were prevented from doing so in June 2004, Johns
Hopkins had taken to Cuba 15 to 20 students for three weeks
every January to focus on some aspect of Cuban society, history
or culture. These courses were very popular with our students,
especially because they neatly fit between semesters and did not
interfere with graduation schedules.

But the new regulations require that the courses be no less than
10 weeks. That would mean spending an extra semester
registered at Hopkins and would bar on-time graduation. Our
students prefer to graduate, and so, for all practical purposes,
Hopkins courses in Cuba have been brought to a halt - as have
courses in Cuba organized by most other colleges and
universities.

Another provision of the new restrictions is that in order to register
for a course given in Cuba, students must be full-time degree
candidates at the college or university offering the course. This
goes against the traditional practice of allowing students from
other institutions to participate in such courses and ended
academic consortia that allowed colleges and universities to send
students to one another's Cuba programs, thereby greatly
reducing the costs and making them accessible to more students.

Why were these restrictions put in place? The first reason put
forward by the Treasury Department was "to eliminate a practice
[of abusing academic licenses] that was undermining the
embargo's purpose of isolating the dictatorship economically."

But the Treasury Department could point to no abuses. No
academic travel licenses had been revoked. No academic group
had been accused of violating the rules.

One suspects that such "abuses" were nothing more than
inventions of the Treasury Department to give fictitious
justification to its new restrictions on academic travel.

The second reason for the policy put forward by Treasury officials
is even more surreal. It was intended "to promote civil society by
continuing to foster free exchange of ideas between American
students and professors and members of Cuban society."

Can they be serious? They must have known that the new
restrictions would have the opposite effect.

The Supreme Court in various cases has held that an academic
institution may, without interference from the government, decide
which courses could be taught, how they would be taught, who
could take them and who could teach them. The restrictions
handed down in 2004 violate all of these.

That is why the Emergency Coalition to Defend Educational
Travel, of which I am the chairman, has challenged the legality of
these measures. It has just presented its brief to the U.S. District
Court for the District of Columbia, pointing out that the restrictions
on academic travel initiated in 2004 can only be seen as an
assault by the executive branch on the constitutionally protected
rights of U.S. citizens. It is an assault that must be turned back.

Something I Found Out

Timothy McVeigh was gay.

An Administration's Epic Collapse From Time Magazine

War to the World

by Code Pink

War to the world! Don Rumsfeld declares;Let's go to war for oil!
Arms dealers and oil companies
Will make our foreign policies
And we'll be safe and free!
And we'll be safe and free!
And women and children will all be safe and free!

We rule the world! With bombs and tanks;
So let the war hawks sing!
We'll target all the hospitals
And mosques and pesky journalists

And lie on CNN
And lie on CNN
And NBC and ABC and C-N-N!

War to the world! The empire reigns;
You're with us or against!!
We're good and you are ee-vil
We're good and you are ee-vil
So we'll blow you away
So we'll blow you away
So Merry Christmas, and have a nice day!

Where Have All the Leaders Gone? By Lee Iacoca

This is a powerful condemnation of Bush and critique of this administration by Lee Iacoca.

Its Time to Impeach Bush, Cheney, and Co

Feelin' Good

Nina Simone

Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Reeds driftin on by you know how I feel

(refrain:)
Its a new dawn
Its a new day
Its a new life
For me
And Im feeling good

Fish in the sea you know how I feel
River running free you know how I feel
Blossom in the tree you know how I feel

(refrain)

Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, dont you know
Butterflies all havin fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done
Thats what I mean

And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me

Stars when you shine you know how I feel
Scent of the pine you know how I feel
Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel

A Piece of Sky

Yentl/ Barbra

Tell me where
Where is it written
What it is Im meant to be?
That I cant dare...

It all began the day I found
That from my window
I could only see
A piece of sky.
I stepped outside and looked around,
I never dreamed it was so wide
Or even half as high.

The time had come
(papa, can you hear me? )
To try my wings
(papa, are you near me? )
And even thought it seemed at any moment I could fall,
I felt the most
(papa, can you see me? )
Amazing things,
(can you understand me? )
The things you cant imagine
If youve never flown at all.

Though its safer to stay on the ground,
Sometimes where danger lies
There the sweetest of pleasures are found.
No matter where I go-
Therell be memries that tug at my sleeve
But there will also be
More to question yet more to believe.

(oh tell me where-
Where is the someone who will turn to look at me
And want to sahre
My evry sweet-imagined possibility? )

The more I live - the more I learn.
The more I learn - the more I realize
The less I know.
Each step I take-
(papa, Ive a voice now!)
Each page I turn-
(papa, Ive a choice now!)
Each mile I travel only means
The more I have to go.
Whats wrong with wanting more?
If you can fly - then soar!
With all there is - why settle for
Just a piece of sky?

Papa, I can hear you...
Papa, I can see you...
Papa, I can feel you...
Papa, watch me fly!

No Matter What Happens

Barbra/ Yentl

Look at how she looks at me,
I can never look at her that way...
Full of all the feelings and the soft
Unspoken words that lovers say...
In all the words, in all the books
I wish there were a way to say that
What she’s taught me
Isn’t written anywhere
And I'm supposed to be the one
Who’s wise...
One thing is certain,
I can never be what she
Expects of me...

I’ve wanted the shadows,
I don’t anymore.
No matter what happens,
I won't anymore
I've run from the sunlight-
Afraid it saw too much.
The moon had the one light
I bathed in-
I walked in.
I held in my feelings
And closed every door.
No matter what happen.
I can't anymore.
There's someone who must hear
The words I've never spoken.
Tonight if he were here
My silence would be broken.
I need him to touch me-
To know the love that's in my heart-
The same heart that tells me
To see myself-
To free myself-
To be myself at last!
For too many mornings
The curtains were drawn.
It's time they were opened
To welcome the dawn.
A voice deep inside
Is getting stronger,
I can't keep it quiet any longer.
No matter what happens,
It can't be the same anymore...
I promise it won't be the same
Anymore!

Tommorow Night

Barbra/ Yentl

Look at me-I must be absolutely crazy!
How did 1 ever let it get this far?
Look at me! I'm getting deeper into trouble.
Am I woman or a man?
Am I a devil or a demon?
Papa was right!
I ask too many questions.
He said a soul can get perplexed-
I can't believe what happens next!
Papa was right!
It seems this little game I play
Becomes more risky every day!
Tomorrow night, tomorrow night...
Under the canopy
I'll stand with her tomorrow night!
And place a ring upon her hand
With her all dressed in white
Tomorrow night
I don’t know how this came about
But I'll be wed without a doubt.
Oh, my God, I've got to get out!
Look at this-The way one lie begets another
Somebody wake me up and say
It’s all a dream!
(Look at this!)
Look how easily I fool them
They may have eyes but they don’t see
They never really look at me
People are blind!
How else would everyone believe me?
It might be interesting to know
Just how much further I can go
Tomorrow night, tomorrow night...
I can’t believe what I’ll presume to be
Tomorrow night,
I'm not the bride but I'm the groom to be
Tomorrow night,
And that's a monumental trick
I'd better think of something quick
(Oh, my God, I'm feeling sick!
I could run away
I could leave without a trace,
Go anywhere or any place
Where no one knows my face.
As a woman or a man?
I don't know just so I can
Run away-run away!
I'd be free-I'd be rid of all of this
But there’s someone I would miss
And being near him is what this is all about!
So running away is out!
Papa dear, you dreamed of dancing
At my wedding;
But something tells me that I'm right
You wouldn't want to dance tonight!
Isn't this a strangely logical solution?
Things may not be as they appear
But the advantages are clear:
He loves her-she loves him
He likes me-I like her
And I've reasons to think she likes me.
She keeps him-he keeps her
I keep things as they were
It's a perfect arrangement for three!
Who'd have ever predicted
The moment would come
When I’d find myself grateful
They’ve kept women dumb!
She's an innocent maiden
But then so am I!
That’s why it's possible I could get by.
Look, I’ve seen the impossible happen before,
So maybe, God willing, it'll happen once more.
For I feel like a train on a perilous track.
With no way to stop and no way to go back.
Like a snowball that’s gathering speed down a hill,
Going faster and faster and faster until...
Tomorrow night, tomorrow night...
Even if someone would pray for me
Tomorrow night,
There's not a prayer
That they could say for me
Tomorrow night,
Tomorrow night, tomorrow night...
Tomorrow night...is now tonight!

Papa Can You Hear Me?

Barbra

Oh God-our heavenly Father.
Oh, God-and my father
Who is also in heaven.
May the light of this
Flickering candle
Illuminate the night the way
Your spirit illuminates my soul.

Papa, can you hear me?
Papa, can you see me?
Papa can you find me in the night?
Papa are you near me?
Papa, can you hear me?
Papa, can you help me not be frightened?
Looking at the skies I seem to see
A million eyes which ones are yours?
Where are you now that yesterday
Has waved goodbye
And closed its doors?
The night is so much darker;
The wind is so much colder;
The world I see is so much bigger
Now that I'm alone.
Papa, please forgive me.
Try to understand me;
Papa, don’t you know I had no choice?
Can you hear me praying,
Anything I'm saying
Even though the night is filled with voices?
I remember everything you taught me
Every book 1've ever read...
Can all the words in all the books
Help me to face what lies ahead?
The trees are so much taller
And I feel so much smaller;
The moon is twice as lonely
And the stars are half as bright...
Papa, how I love you...
Papa, how I need you.
Papa, how I miss you
Kissing me good night...